Though no prospect to come through baseball has ever carried the hype of Stephen Strasburg, Wood is about as close as you can get. With a blazing fastball and sharp breaking stuff, Wood was a new hope for a desperate Cubs organization when he was drafted in 1995. Wood was expected to put the franchise on his back and help to end years of suffering.

Initially, Wood backed up that hype. The 1998 National League Rookie of the Year made his debut in April of that yea,r and instantly put himself on the map. On May 6th, 1998, Wood put together one of the top few pitching performances of all time. Against the Houston Astros, Wood allowed just one hit, walked none, and struck out 20 hitters. His fastball was top notch and his curveball was simply absurd in that game.

You could say it was all down hill from there, at least as far as his health is concerned. In a career plagued by injuries, Wood underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the 1999 season.

Though he struggled in his first year back, Wood steadily returned to form, and was absolute dynamite in 2003, mowing down 266 hitters and pitching to a 3.20 ERA. That continued in the postseason, when he dominated the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the NLDS. Wood won his pair of starts against Atlanta, posting a 1.76 ERA as the Cubs advanced to that fateful NLCS against the Florida Marlins.

It was during that series that we saw another landmark event in the career of Kerry Wood. Wood hit a game-tying home run in Game 7 against Florida, sending Chicago into a frenzy. Of course, Wood also took the ‘L’ in that game.

Just as the Cubs were unable to pick up the pieces after the infamous 2003 postseason, Wood wasn’t able to put it back together as a starter. A whole slew of injuries all over the place began to dominate his career. If it wasn’t one thing (triceps in 2004), it was another (rotator cuff in 2006).

It reached the point where Wood was forced into bullpen duty, in order to limit his workload. Wood finished his first tenure with the Cubs as the club’s closer in 2008, a stint which won him an All Star nod. Following that year, the Cubs cut Wood loose due to financial reasons, allowing him to cash in with the Cleveland Indians.

Wood spent two years away from Chicago, with the Indians and a very successful stint with the New York Yankees. In 2011, he returned to the North Side on a one-year pact, turning down higher paying gigs elsewhere for what most assumed would be his final ride into the sunset last season.

That pretty much takes us where we are today. Wood signed a new contract this past offseason, something that was in question with the Theo Epstein Era beginning in Chicago. Some felt that it was time to simply let Wood go, while others, including myself, though bringing him back on a one-year, low cost deal would be a plus not only for a thin bullpen, but for the younger guys in the ‘pen who could use the veteran presence from Wood.

It didn’t take long for Wood to figure out this season that he just didn’t have it anymore. Wood had found success as a starter, which continued in 2011, and the fact that he had regressed so much this year meant that he wasn’t completely healthy. His command wasn’t there, contributing to an ERA over eight. His retirement is considered overdue to some, and a sad day for others.

I don’t think you’ll find too many Cubs fans clamoring for Wood to be in the Hall of Fame or mention him among baseball’s all time greats. He had the stuff and the talent for both, but injuries never allowed that to materialize, and we can easily label his career a disappointment. The more you think about it, the more frustrating it gets.

Yet, Wood will go down as a fan favorite in Chicago that few can measure up to, and it has nothing to do with numbers. Stuck in a dark place, Wood helped the Cubs break into a…less dark place and evolve as an organization. He was always a class act, even in attempting to fight through all of that adversity. He was a warrior. Every time he went down, you knew he was coming back, as frustrating as it was to watch.

It’s reassuring to know that it won’t be too long before we see Wood back with the Cubs, as a spot somewhere in the organization is likely in the cards. Until then, use this as a reminder of what could have been, in the disappointing career of Kid K.

The big prospect had a very solid year in 2011, his first year in the Major Leagues. He hit .293, with 19 home runs and a .334 on-base percentage after being recalled from the minors in May. This year hasn’t been nearly the same story for the 22-year-old.

Hosmer has struggled mightily. He’s hitting just .193 for the year, with a .237 OBP. Those struggles have prompted at least some discussion that the Royals could consider sending Hosmer to Omaha to get some of his confidence back.

It’s tough to say that a move down would be extremely beneficial for Hosmer. It might help him boost his confidence, but it’s not as if his swing is completely lost and he needs to work on fundamentals. And it’s not as if he’s the only one not performing on this Royals team

Ned Yost has moved Hosmer all over the lineup to try and get him going. He’s hit all over the middle of the order, and has most recently been moved to the no. 2 slot to get more hittable pitches and perhaps boost his confidence. We’re still waiting to see the results of that experiement.

You also have to consider the fact that it’s not as if Hosmer is going up and whiffing every time he’s at the plate. He’s only struck out 18 times in over 150 plate appearances. However, his BABIP is down at .165. So do we just consider Hosmer to be unlucky, rather than actually struggling?

As of right now, it’s tough to see Hosmer going anywhere. The Royals are going to give him every opportunity to succeed, and unless he’s hitting under .150 in the middle of June, I don’t see him packing his bags for Omaha.

Don’t forget, the Royals had a similar dilemma with Mike Moustakas last season, before he turned it on in the second half, and has gotten off to a strong start this season.

That’s really the right decision. If this was a situation where his fundamentals were lacking and his swing were out of shape, I could see a demotion. But when your future franchise first baseman is in an early season slump, you give him every opportunity to emerge from it, especially with the Royals going nowhere fast in the standings.

Now, in the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the Kings meet the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference Finals, no one is laughing at Penner. In fact, he’s actually making himself something of a commodity for other teams to look at this summer.

A guy that posted just 17 points in the regular season, after being expected to be a key contributor for the Kings after he was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers, Penner has been able to laugh at himself through all of the struggles and through all of the flapjacks, and it’s helped him to become a better player.

Penner has eight points this postseason, including a pair of goals, but his contributions go beyond the stat sheet. He’s been a big body in the top six that has played the physical game and has been able to plant his body down in the trenches and help the offense. He was a key contributor on one of Jeff Carter‘s three goals in Game 2, with a slick pass for Carter to swat past Mike Smith for the 2-0 LA lead.

The transformation from regular season Penner to postseason Penner really speaks to his increased focus that we’ve seen this offseason. He was diagnosed as lazy during the regular season, and served as a healthy scratch on more than one occasion. As the postseason wears on, it becomes more and more evident that Penner means business.

As Penner helps the Kings continue on this path towards potentially hoisting their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, he’s also helping himself out greatly.

During those struggles earlier in the season, it was questioned whether or not the Kings would even hang onto Penner for the rest of the season, let alone the future. Now it’s a possibility that he could be in LA for the long term. If not, he could be a popular name out on the free agent market, as he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Whether or not this Penner is here to stay remains to be seen, but everyone loves a comeback. And Penner has certainly been that in these playoffs.

Brent Seabrook was really the only calming, consistent presence on a Hawks blue line that featured an inconsistent Duncan Keith, a green Nick Leddy, a misused Steve Montador, and a useless-in-everything-but-shot-blocking Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Those defensive issues made Johnny Oduya‘s arrival to Chicago much more welcome. The Hawks acquired Oduya from the Winnipeg Jets, to a massive uproar from Hawks fans that wanted more. Only “more” wasn’t availabe in this year’s market. Oduya was as good a move as Stan Bowman could have hoped to make.

For the most part, it was a move that worked out well for the Hawks, at least in the regular season. His speed and puck movement helped make up for at least some of the loss of Brian Campbell and he was a contributor on both special teams.

He was also a great linemate for Nick Leddy. Leddy was forced into a role that he likely wasn’t ready to assume, in trying to replace Campbell, and Oduya’s presence helped to settle him down. During the regular season, the two performed really well together. But in the last few games of the regular season, and in the postseason, the shine from that pairing dulled.

Both Leddy and Oduya were completely beat and outmuscled to every puck against the ruthless forecheck of the Phoenix Coyotes. Oduya was particularly awful, getting tossed around like a rag doll by the Coyotes forwards.

Essentially, it was two completely different seasons for Oduya with the Hawks. He showed that he could be a good piece, as an offensive player, but against a physical team like Phoenix, his play in the defensive end is going to be a major concern. Now that the Hawks have seen both sides of the coin, will they seek to bring back Oduya, who is an unrestricted free agent?

Bowman has already said that the team will look at bringing Oduya back. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. He likely wouldn’t cost much, but the Blackhawks could look to bring in a defenseman with a more physical game, like a Matt Carle or Jason Garrison.

I would say that the chances are pretty decent the Hawks will bring back Oduya. It’s no lock, but they like his offensive game and he’ll be on the cheaper side of things.

Bryan LaHair has been an absolute force in the Cubs’ lineup this year, making a statement that perhaps he should have been in the bigs before 2012. LaHair has done the work this year both with a steady bat as far as his average goes, as well as the big power numbers. He likely won’t maintain his absurd .352 average and .445 on-base percentage, but his power numbers (10 home runs) are legit.

At this point, it’s pretty much established, finally at 29 years old, that LaHair is a Major League first baseman, and not the “AAAA player” that most assumed he was. Most fans and experts figured that LaHair would be nothing more than a placeholder for Anthony Rizzo. Instead, the Cubs could have a good problem on their hands within the next couple of weeks.

Anthony Rizzo has been spending his days with the Iowa Cubs mashing Triple A pitching. He has 13 home runs on the year, and is hitting .339. He might be up at this point, if it weren’t for the emergence of LaHair. But at some point, and it’s going to be soon, Rizzo and LaHair are going to be in the same batting order.

Scenarios abound as to how the Cubs can get the already anointed ”first baseman of the future” into the Chicago lineup. Some involve a trade of LaHair at some point, or of Alfonso Soriano, but neither of the two sound very likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. It’s also been suggested that Rizzo could move to third base. He throws lefty, though, so that’s out.

So how do the Cubs get Rizzo and LaHair into the same lineup? Any potential lineup features Rizzo at first regardless, given his outstanding defense and the fact that LaHair is more than capable in the outfield. Do they bench Soriano? Move David DeJesus to center field? The latter seems more likely there, given that money talks and the team is much more likely to bench Tony Campana than Soriano, who isn’t going to be benched, cut, or traded any time soon.

No matter how the lineup shakes out, it’s going to be an exciting day when the Cubs send out a lineup dressing both Rizzo and LaHair in the batting order. Rizzo is going to force the Cubs to call him up, and once he is up he is going to stay, which is likely part of the hold up in calling him up. With the front office already looking at ways to get both of them into the lineup, it shouldn’t be long before we see both in the lineup.

It’s not too often that you hear a captain’s name in trade rumors, but that’s where the Los Angeles Kings were earlier this season. At times, they looked dead in the water and performed nowhere near the level that they were expected to, after making the moves last summer that many assumed would put them over the top.

They crept into the playoffs as the no. 8 seed in the Western Conference, setting up a date with the Presidents Trophy winners, the Vancouver Canucks. LA cruised through that series before sweeping the second best team out West, the St. Louis Blues.

Through two games against the Phoenix Coyotes, the no. 3 seed, the Kings continue to display the fact that they are a very serious threat to win their first Stanley Cup in team history. And right in the middle of it all is Dustin Brown.

Brown isn’t one of the more widely publicized captains in the NHL, as he doesn’t put up points at a “per game” clip and he usually lets his physical play do the talking. Since the postseason has started, though, Brown has been the key piece for the Kings.

To this point, Brown has posted 14 points in 11 playoff games for Los Angeles. His four goals against Vancouver were all big, in what was a low scoring series, overall. His six points against the Blues in the second round included two goals in Game 4, which saw the elimination of the Blues.

Where Brown has really done the damage is with his physical play. Not that that’s anything new for Brown, as his 293 hits during the regular season were the second most in the league. Add that on top of the fact that he served just 53 penalty minutes all year, and you wonder why he was ever involved in trade rumors.

In just 11 games during these Stanley Cup Playoffs, Brown has 54 hits. He registered less than four hits in just one game, while going for at least six in four. That combination of the physical play, and his offensive play during the postseason, have helped him to emerge as the best player remaining in the playoffs.

Even when he’s not putting up the points, Brown is making an impact. In Game 2 against Phoenix, Brown managed to get inside the collective heads of the Coyotes, drawing some big penalties. He took a slash from Daymond Langkow, a big hack from Mike Smith to the back of the legs, and a vicious boarding hit from Martin Hanzal.

A player like Brown tends to get under the skin of the opponent, and he’s managed to do it in every round, with it becoming especially evident in Game 2. He might not be the biggest name on his own team, but he’s been the biggest performer thus far, and it’s come in every aspect of the game. If the Kings are able to continue on this roll, there’s no doubt he should be an easy Conn Smythe candidate by the time it’s all said and done.

For the Coyotes, they are in danger of seeing their surprising postseason run come to an abrupt and ugly end. Three players are potentially facing some sort of discipline from the NHL, and they haven’t really appeared to be in either of the two games, both of which were at home.

The Kings, on the other hand, hold a 2-0 lead and while you shouldn’t expect them to make things any easier for Phoenix, they’re at least able to focus on the positives after their 4-0 win in Game 2, and they weren’t exactly in short supply.

Los Angeles emerged from Game 2 healthy, which is a big positive considering the fact that the Coyotes lost any composure and resorted to making runs at guys like Dustin Brown. You can also look at the fact that Jonathan Quick added another shutout to his impressive season.

But the big story for the Kings after Game 2 was Jeff Carter. Up until Tuesday, Carter was having a quiet postseason for the Kings, who acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the trade deadline, reuniting him with Mike Richards.

Carter posted nine points in 16 regular season games with the Kings, including six goals. His postseason has been quiet, despite the success of this Kings squad, with a pair of assists against the Vancouver Canucks and a goal and an assist in four games against the St. Louis Blues.

Tuesday was a different story for Carter, though, who exploded for a playoff hat trick in the rout.

Carter’s first goal made it 2-0 Kings, on a nice set up from big forward Dustin Penner. The latter two goals came on 5-on-3 advantages for the Kings, who spent a good chunk of Game 2 with the man advantage.

The second goal was initially credited to Anze Kopitar, but later changed to Carter, who deflected it past Mike Smith. The dagger that made it 4-0 came off of the rebound, giving Carter the first Kings playoff hat trick since Wayne Gretzky.

This one is sure to do plenty of Carter’s confidence. He had struggled this postseason, and during the season overall. Putting yet another player with confidence on the offensive end is only going to make this Kings team more dangerous, as they continue to send a message in these Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You can see video of Carter’s trio of Game 2 goals below:

Tuesday’s tilt between the two clubs was not only a disaster on the scoreboard for the Coyotes, but it was a game that saw any discipline from the team disappear completely. Three players received game misconducts and another likely deserved one. While the Kings were able to focus on the win and Jeff Carter‘s  hat trick, the Coyotes are left wondering if they’ll have a full roster for Game 3.

Three players in Phoenix are likely wondering if they’ll receive any type of supplemental discipline from the NHL, whether it’s a fine or a suspension: Shane Doan, Martin Hanzal, and Mike Smith.

Doan was the first to be tossed, after a boarding call that earned him a five minute major. Doan hit Trevor Lewis from behind, into the boards, a hit which forced Lewis into the locker room, though he’d return. The hit could certainly be called a penalty, but Lewis also put himself into a vulnerable position, which is likely to work in Doan’s favor. The onus is also on the player taking the hit to keep themselves out of that vulnerable position, which Lewis did when he turned his back to the boards, allowing Doan to come in and board him.

This is a case where Doan’s history could work against him. If he receives any discipline at all, it could be because the league takes that history into account. However, given that Lewis put himself into the position, which helped to result in the hit, I don’t see a suspension coming for Doan.

Things get a little more cloudy with Mike Smith and Martin Hanzal, with both having taken penalties for hits on Kings captain Dustin Brown.

With Brown in front of the Phoenix net, Smith took his stick and slashed Brown to the back of the legs with a hit that could only be compared to chopping down a tree. Somehow, Brown was called for diving, though Smith did get a slashing call as well. As brutal as this hit was, I doubt any type of suspension comes for the Coyotes netminder, except perhaps a fine.

Of the three, Hanzal could be the one absent from action for the next couple of games. With Hanzal and Brown chasing down a puck in the end boards, the big Coyotes forward drove Brown, face first, into the boards, not slowing down at all. Unlike the case of Doan, where he didn’t have time to react to Lewis turning around at the last second, Hanzal’s hit clearly had intent, something the NHL takes into account when discussing discipline as much as it does history. I don’t think there’s any way Hanzal avoids a suspension, which could end up ending his season.

Luckily for the three Coyotes, and for LA, no Kings were injured on any of these plays, which should limit anything they get, perhaps with the exception of Hanzal. I don’t see Doan or Smith getting anything as far as  missed games, though I could certainly see a fine coming for Smith.

Worrying about discipline is the last thing the Coyotes needed, with their backs already against the wall after two games. Things have to turn around for the Coyotes, and fast, if they hope to make a series of this, against a Kings team that is on a mission.

You can see video of the Hanzal hit below. He is the only one with a hearing scheduled.

Both teams head into this series having been underdogs in their previous two series in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Coyotes knocked off the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators, while the Kings have taken down the top two clubs out West, in the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues.

The Coyotes are a fantastic story. Mike Smith  has made Ilya Bryzgalov something of a punchline in Phoenix, not to mention having to deal with the distraction of their incredibly unstable ownership situation. This is a team that deserves to be where they are. They work harder than any other team in hockey and are a difficult opponent for any team in the league to play against, despite their lack of star power.

They took down the Blackhawks, causing a roster packed with big names to fall silent. They then easily dispatched of a Predators squad that many had projected to end up in the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s no accident that they’re here.

However, many have the Kings, a no. 8 seed, favored over the no. 3 Coyotes. And given what we’ve seen so far in this postseason, that’s probably the right call.

The Coyotes are a great story, but the Kings have been the most dominant team of the postseason. They bested the top two quads in the Western Conference, losing just one game in the process. The team that was expected to be a big player in the West at the beginning of the season is finally playing like it.

There are only two goaltenders in the National Hockey League that I would rate better than Mike Smith, and one is Jonathan Quick. He’s been brilliant all year, which has continued into the playoff season. If he played in the size market that Henrik Lundqvist does, he might be a lock for the Vezina Trophy.

Like the Blackhawks, and supposedly the Predators, the Kings come with more offensive talent than Phoenix. But the Coyotes weathered storms against each team and Smith stood tall in net. In the end, the Hawks lacked the physical play to best the Yotes and the Preds lacked the scoring touch we thought they all had.

The Kings have the combination of both that is necessary to knock off this Phoenix squad. Overall, they’re the more talented club. But if these playoffs have shown us anything, it’s that talent doesn’t always win out. If the Kings show that willingness to get down and dirty against the Coyotes, something we haven’t seen in the 11 games Phoenix has played this year, I have no reservations in saying that the Kings can win not only this series, but they could be hoisting a very large chalice not too long from now.

While a big majority of fans were happy to see Kid K return for another season of Cubs baseball, there was also another group that questioned whether or not it was worth it to bring Wood back, given his age and obvious injury history, or set him free to another club.

At this point, those who fell into the later category are already firing up their “I told you so’s”. Wood has struggled mightily this season, both with his health and with his pitching. Those struggles have done no favors for a bullpen that has had plenty of issues getting it together this season.

The biggest issue for Wood has been his command. His strikeouts are down, instead walking an absurd nearly 13 hitters per nine. That was on display when Wood threw nine consecutive balls in the 12th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

It’s the command that has Wood down, with an ERA near 10 this year. Luckily his ground ball rate, at a touch over 41 percent, is as high as it’s ever been in his career, or it could be worse for Kerry Wood.

Health must be playing a heavy hand in this. Wood wasn’t right during spring training, sitting most of March out, and has already made one visit to the disabled list this season, with fatigue in his throwing shoulder. After how great Wood was last season, it’s nearly impossible to come up with a decent explanation for his quick decline other than his health.

Hopefully, Wood’s outing against the Brewers on Friday was a step in the right direction. Despite those issues with his control, Wood didn’t allow a run in two innings of work and touched 95 MPH on the radar gun. We’ll see if that has a positive impact on him at all moving forward.

I’m not ready to jump on the bandwagon with the folks proclaiming that this is the end of Kerry Wood. But there are some obvious issues, most likely his health, that need to be worked out. Until we see a Kerry Wood that can actually say is healthy, we can’t really pronounce his career dead.